What is healthy? Survey reveals huge gap in what public, nutritionists think is healthy

Thursday 6 July, 2017

Coconut oil, gluten-free cakes,
orange juice, frozen yoghurt and muesli bars - they're marketed as good for us,
but are they really healthy?

A new survey by LiveLighter has
revealed some eye-opening differences between what members of the public and a
sample of nutrition experts think is healthy.

LiveLighter asked more than 1,000
Victorian adults and more than 100 dietitians and public health nutritionists to
label a list of foods and drinks as healthy or not.

Campaign Manager Alison McAleese
said items that are heavily promoted as healthy, like coconut oil, revealed the
biggest knowledge gap between the experts and members of the public.

"Not surprisingly, products like
coconut oil, gluten-free cakes, orange juice, muesli bars and frozen yoghurt -
which are heavily marketed as good for us - were seen as healthy by a much higher
proportion of the public than nutritionists surveyed," Ms McAleese said.

Seventy-five percent of Victorian adults surveyed said coconut oil
was ‘healthy', while 85 per cent of the experts disagreed. Ms McAleese said this
highlights the powerful influence that food marketing has on what the general
public see as healthy.

"Just a few years ago, few people would have heard of coconut oil,
let alone know where to buy it or what to do with it. Now it's frequently sold
as a health product which in reality is very high in saturated fat and should
not be consumed regularly as part of a healthy diet," Ms McAleese said.

At the other end of the scale, a greater percentage of
nutritionists surveyed listed the following as healthy:

While this will no doubt be welcome news for the public, Ms
McAleese said it's not a free pass to eat a giant tub of buttery popcorn or
order a large serve of creamy pasta from a restaurant.

"When nutritionists say popcorn is healthy, they're most likely
thinking of a typical serve of air-popped popcorn, maybe with a sprinkle of
herbs or spices - not the salty, buttery variety sold in enormous buckets at
the movies," Ms McAleese said.

"The same applies for nutritionists'
attitudes towards pasta, peanut butter and jacket potatoes. In their original
state these foods are good for us. It's when other ingredients like, cream,
butter, processed meats and salt are added that they become less healthy."

Heart
Foundation Victoria's Healthy Living Manager Roni Beauchamp said the findings reinforce
the importance of checking the credibility of health and nutrition information
to make sure people have the full story of what they're purchasing.

"We know that if given the option, people will often select
healthier food choices, but it is this very choice that can be taken advantage
of by misleading or confusing health messaging," Ms Beauchamp said.

"People have a desire for practical information on health and
nutrition so they can make confident, informed decisions, but to allow this, information
should be both accessible and accurate.

"If you're looking for reliable information
on diet, nutrition or health, check who is providing the information and how
they make sure it's accurate. You can also go to the LiveLighter website, visit
an accredited practising dietician or nutritionist, or speak to your local GP
or health professional."

About
the survey

LiveLighter asked 1,097 Victorian
adults aged 18-64 years and 134 Victorian nutrition experts (nutritionists and
accredited practicing dietitians) to label 57 foods and drinks as healthy or
unhealthy in an online survey. The research was conducted between March and April
2017.

About LiveLighter

Delivered by the Cancer Council Victoria and Heart
Foundation, LiveLighter is a public health
education campaign which encourages Victorians to lead healthier lives by
changing what they eat and drink, and being more active.For
more healthy tips, recipes and advice visit www.livelighter.com.au

Cancer Council Victoria would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we live and work. We would also like to pay respect to the elders past and present and extend that respect to all other Aboriginal people.